Hannah Keikiokanani Aldridge

Name Hannah Keikiokanani Aldridge

Social Media -

Age 32

Town/Moku Born & Raised in Kuliʻouʻou; Currently reside in Mililani

Island Oʻahu

Leadership Category Culture

Nominated by Brenton Awa

Share with us a little about yourself and what you do. Aloha! O wau ʻo Keikokanani Aldridge, he Kahu hou au ma kekahi Pūnana Leo hou, i Waialua. Aloha! Iʻm Keikokanani Aldridge and this is my first year as a Site Coordinator at a Hawaiian Language Medium Education preschool recently established in Waialua, Pūnana Leo o Waialua. I am not fluent in Hawaiian, and I could not even confidently say that Iʻm even at intermediate level, but I can say that I try very hard everyday to learn more, and use the language more than I did yesterday. I have 2 sons, one of whom is a student at this new preschool.

As a Site Coordinator, I support our keiki, kumu, the preschool site, and the ʻohana in order to keep things running smoothly. I was formerly a community college lecturer and counselor assisting Native Hawaiian students in their higher education journey. When I became a mother and my sons became preschool aged, I knew the only time I would get serious about bringing ʻōlelo into our household was if we put time and effort into making it a priority. I am still adjusting to being in a supervisory and leadership type of role, rather than a supportive or teaching role, but I enjoy the challenge of learning new things from people and daily experiences. I am humbled to have been nominated for this leadership award.

Why is the work that you do important to you? The community? A few Momʻs and I met through "Tūtū & Me" a few years ago and found that we all wanted to see a movement of Hawaiian language in our keiki and in the community of Waialua/North Shore/Central Oʻahu. With many ʻohana in this area having expressed interest in seeing this movement happen, we sought out a location for a (Hawaiian language) preschool, petitioned to the ʻAha Pūnana Leo, and the school was opened several months later! Pūnana Leo o Waialua is the first Hawaiian Language Medium Education school to make a home on the North Shore.

This school is a movement, and is impactful to the community for many reasons: The North Shore has become an internationally popular destination- when you visit beaches here, you can observe several different languages spoken on the beaches: Portuguese, Japanese, Italian, and English to name a few. Hearing these foreign languages between families and groups of friends always gives me an intense desire to one day experience our own Hawaiian language permeating the beaches of North shore and beyond.

Finally, this work is important to me because everyday I see the 12 keiki and their ʻohana, with such a strong desire to learn Hawaiian language. Each one of them try so hard, are so dedicated, and incredibly passionate about their ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi journey-- as slow or as challenging as it may seem to them at times.

Share with us the qualities of leadership you admire and how you express those in your life. The 2 qualities of leadership I admire are: Pilina & Wisdom. Pilina to me means building intentional relationships with people and showing that you genuinely care. Wisdom to me is more than just knowledge and ʻsmartsʻ, itʻs experience that comes with time, empathy, and the understanding of many different perspectives and ways to think about a situation.

I express or build pilina in my life through hosting my staff for a meal, surprising them with coffee, giving rides home (one catches bus), and simply asking about their life or goals outside of work. I express or build pilina with my ʻohana at the preschool through showing them I care about their keiki: I send pictures, reach out when keiki or family members are sick, and check in with parents regularly to see when they need support.

I practice wisdom in my life by reading my Bible daily. The fear and love of Ke Akua is the beginning of all wisdom. Whatever I learn is applicable in all areas of my life. When a complicated situation arrises, I also use my Social Work background to try and understand the complexity from many angles, and empathize with all parties.

Who has inspired you to do the work that you are doing? I have been inspired by people, experiences, and my 2 sons. One such experience Iʻd like to share quickly happened during my study abroad in Aotearoa, and beach going on the North Shore.

In New Zealand, I went to several events that were hosted entirely in Te Reo Maori (Maori Language). Everyone around me in the audience was laughing and completely engaged... understanding the language completely-- and I was always brought to tears. At one of these events, I committed to teach my children Hawaiian Language, and had a vision for what a Hawaiian Language movement could look like.

I am also inspired by our Aliʻi, who gave so much to their people, and so much was taken from them in the end. I always myself "What can I do? How can I contribute?"-- and that is usually pretty inspiring to hoʻomau and keep pressing on.

What is one word that describes something you are excited about for the lāhui? ʻIʻini

What is one word that describes a pressing issue that is facing our lāhui? Unity